Nature note

Kids on the 5th July Picnic event were encouraged to discover wildlife and it was a good day to do it.

I left the area of the picnic and marquee a couple of times during the afternoon to get an idea of what wildlife could be easily found.

A brisk wind was hampering the flight of some butterflies and they were found more readily were there was shelter of bushes and trees.

Marbled White butterfly

I was able to find Comma, Red Admiral, Marbled White, Small Skipper, Speckled Wood butterflies. Over the Dewpond male Broad-bodied Chasers continued to patrol and females were seen to deposit eggs, dipping the tips of their abdomen in the surface momentarily in repeated movements.

broad-boadied chaser female

At the marquee area one young child discovered an unusual looking fly. I wasn’t sure of its identity at the time. I checked later, apparently it was an immature Robber Fly. Zosteria sp.